Later this evening (Wednesday), Islanders will have the opportunity to bear witness to an extremely rare partial solar eclipse that will see the moon cover over 90% of the sun’s surface, but where are the best places on the Isle of Wight to watch it? And how can you watch it safely?
The astronomical phenomenon is expected to begin at around 18:18, reaching its maximum at approximately 19:14 before ending shortly after 20:07 in what is the first of its kind visible in the UK since 1999.
At its peak, the eclipse will have a magnitude of approximately 0.934, leaving the Sun appearing as a thin crescent around 11 degrees above the west-north-western horizon, leaving roughly 92% of the Sun obscured just before sunset.
Despite the Isle of Wight not experiencing totality due to the path of the total eclipse crossing Greenland, Iceland and Spain, specialists continue to warn members of the public who plan to view the eclipse of the serious health risks that could occur as a result of prolonged solar ray exposure.
You may be thinking ‘if the moon is covering the sun it will turn dark, and therefore my eyes can’t be damaged’… wrong.
You may also be thinking ‘I’ll just put my sunglasses on’… also wrong
Due to the intense solar rays, looking directly into even the small amount of sun that will be on show can severely burn the cells in your retina, causing headaches, blurred/flashing vision, ultimately leading to partial or full blindness.
To ensure you keep yourself and your loved ones safe, here is a list of safe ways to watch the eclipse:
- Purchase eclipse glasses – according to NASA, eclipse glasses are darker than regular sunglasses by thousands of times and therefore come out as the best, safest option.
- As the Island has very limited shops that stock these rarely needed glasses, another way you can safely view it, if you have acquired a pair, is by projecting the eclipse onto a different surface, for example making a pinhole projector. This can be made by taping tinfoil and paper to both ends of a box, then punching a hole in the foil – creating a small hole that will allow sunshine through, casting a replica of the eclipse’s shadows onto the paper.
- Using your camera as an effective way to view the eclipse has also been warned against. Again, much like our eyes, our telephones do not have the solar ray protection in their cameras, and therefore pointing your phone at it for a prolonged period could mean you break your phone.
Now we have covered how you can safely watch the eclipse, let’s get into the best spots across the Island to view it.
West-facing areas of the Island are likely to offer the clearest views, particularly locations with an unobstructed horizon such as:
- Players Beach, Ryde
- Gurnard Esplanade
- Culver Down
- Totland and Colwell Bay
- Tennyson Down
- Mottistone Down
- Chale Bay and Military Road
We would love to see your images and videos of the eclipse. To share them with us and have the chance to feature in a photo gallery, send them to [email protected].
